More recent statements on Georgia Supreme Court decision from Georgia WIN List endorsed elected women.
SD 39 Senator Sonya Halpern
I am so disappointed by the Georgia Supreme Court’s ruling. There are so many reasons why a woman and her partner may choose abortion and none of those reasons are my business (or yours either). Georgia’s 6-week abortion ban is one of the strictest in the nation. This ban disregards the autonomy, health, and well-being of women, and disproportionately affects those in vulnerable situations.
Remember too:
- Georgia has the worst maternal mortality rate in this country.
- Georgia ranks amongst the worst of all states in the country for healthcare overall.
- Half of Georgia’s 159 counties do not have a single OB/GYN.
These are disastrous statistics which are about to get worse!
HD 35 Rep. Lisa Campbell
On Tuesday (10-24-23), the Georgia Supreme Court upheld an extreme law that prohibits women from making reproductive healthcare decisions without government interference. As the first woman elected to serve Georgia HD 35, I am honored to represent the thousands of women in our district who deserve equal rights under the law.
I believe in the power of equality for all Georgians. Equitable access to education and healthcare, an inclusive economy, the choices about who we love, where we live, and the families we create. I believe equal rights are the keys to our shared opportunities for jobs, for justice, for freedom, for happiness, and well-being.
I trust Georgia women to make decisions that are right for their families, and I vow to stand with the majority of Georgians who seek to expand, not diminish, our rights to equitable healthcare. I’m committed to prioritizing the work of restoring women’s rights to self-determination.
HD 54 Rep. Betsy Holland
The decision comes at a challenging time for Georgians after Forbes ranked the state’s healthcare system as the worst in the country, the result of decades of disinvestment.
At the same time the Governor is hoarding almost $11 billion in unallocated funding, half the counties in Georgia do not have an OBGYN and the maternal mortality rate in the state is among the worst in the nation. Between the already existing shortage of medical staff in Georgia and Governor Kemp’s refusal to fully expand Medicaid, the added strain of draconian laws like the six-week abortion ban further strain our already crumbling healthcare system.
HD 97 Rep. Ruwa Romman
“This decision is awful news for Georgians who are already struggling to access life-saving reproductive healthcare. With half our counties lacking an OBGYN and our state having one of the highest maternal mortality rates, this ruling threatens the life and wellbeing of Georgians.”
HD 92 Rhonda Taylor
” Reproductive freedom is a personal right of every woman in America and it is very sad that our Governor pushed to enact his six-week ban immediately after the Supreme Court’s 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade. We now witness the Georgia Supreme Court upholding Georgia’s 6-week abortion ban, and it hurts! It hurts because the voices of women are continually being ignored and silenced; and to further the insult, laws are being passed and thrust down our throats. How dare a consensus of a few dictate what and how we manage our healthcare. The results of the abortion ban have impacted numerous lives and families; forcing a woman to carry to term with a fatal prognosis, risking the health of mothers with medical concerns and then merely disrespecting privacy rights afforded to all citizens.
We will press onward with the goal of never ending the fight for the right to make decisions regarding our bodies; we will forever armor up, stand up and speak up for what the 14th Amendment provided- protecting abortion as a fundamental right. Women will meet this obstruction at the polls where our vote will be our voice.”
HD 153 Rep. Anne Allen Westbrook
The GA Supreme Court on Tuesday (10-24-23) ruled that GA’s 6-week abortion ban will remain in effect while the case heads back to Superior Court for a ruling on the constitutionality of the law. This ruling is another blow to women, families and doctors in GA.
For now, most abortions will continue to be banned and Georgians who already experience barriers accessing healthcare will be most affected. We know GA has a scarcity of ob/gyns in many areas, and unconscionably high rates of maternal mortality. The ban may compound all that, by affecting our ability to attract doctors to practice in GA.
Earlier statements released on Tuesday:
The Tuesday statements about the Georgia Supreme Court decision issued by three key legislators are printed below:
Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler
“Today is a dark day for reproductive freedom in Georgia. I am angry and disheartened over the Georgia Supreme Court’s decision upholding this abortion ban. This law was clearly unconstitutional at the time of its passage. No matter how Republicans feel about Roe v. Wade, it was the law of the land in 2019. Under Georgia law, this law was void when it passed. Period.
“The abortion ban has already caused so much fear and suffering. Fear that an ectopic pregnancy will cost a woman her life. Suffering from being forced to carry a baby to term that the mother knows will die. It is unacceptable. It also unacceptable that this law strips a generation of Georgia’s women of rights their mothers held. We should never leave future generations with less freedom.
“But together we can restore the right to make decision about our own bodies. Last year, I introduced SR 136. This measure would recognize every Georgian’s fundamental right to make personal health care decisions. Most importantly, we make a difference at the ballot box.”
House Caucus Treasurer Rep. Shea Roberts
“I am disappointed that the Supreme Court disregarded well-established state law that prohibits legislatures from passing laws that are unconstitutional. It makes no sense to reward Republicans for their clear disregard of the law. But the case is not over and I’m hopeful that we will ultimately win. In the meantime, our House Democratic Caucus will continue to fight for every Georgian’s right to fundamental freedom.”
House Caucus Secretary Rep. Park Cannon
“We remember the day that this measure narrowly passed by one vote and during the past 3.5 years of legal action, we have continued to learn that one in three women will have an abortion. Today, family choice and bodily autonomy for all Georgians have been ignored, Still, we remain confident that providers will respect their Hippocratic oath to “do no harm” when presented with clients in need while we continue to fight for legislative remedy.”
Andrea Young – ACLU of Georgia Executive Director
“Today’s ruling is not the end of this fight for women’s healthcare. Be clear, the right to abortion is on the ballot in 2024. Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia legislature acted to take away our rights. The Georgia legislature can restore our rights and we must organize to elect a pro-choice legislature.”
Monica Simpson – SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective Executive Director
“Today’s devastating decision means that our people will continue to face the horrible reality that they are in today where Georgians are suffering because they cannot access abortion care. This abortion ban has forced Georgians to travel across state lines at great expense or continue the life-altering consequences of pregnancy and childbirth against their wills. In a state that already has OB/GYN deserts, one of the highest maternal mortality rates, especially for us as Black women, and cruel anti-trans legislation, this decision only further disregards us, our bodily autonomy, and our lives. We have been resisting this ban that is steeped in white supremacy for years with our partners, and we are not backing down now. We will continue to work to realize our vision for Reproductive Justice, in which everyone has the right to decide whether or not to have children and raise their children in safe, sustainable communities.”
Kwajelyn Jackson – Feminist Women’s Health Center Executive Director
“It is heart-wrenching that we are being forced to turn patients away who need abortion care beyond the earliest weeks of pregnancy. We have been continuing to get calls from patients across Georgia and the Southeast who have nowhere in their own communities to turn to for care. Abortion is an essential component of reproductive health care, and this law is putting people’s lives at risk. We will continue to fight this ban on behalf of our patients and our communities.”
Julia Kaye – ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project Senior Staff Attorney
“For more than a year, Gov. Kemp’s abortion ban has pushed essential care out of reach for countless Georgians, condemning them to costly out-of-state travel in search of basic health care or the nightmare of forced pregnancy and childbirth. The impacts have been devastating, particularly in a state with a growing shortage of OB-GYNs and a severe maternal mortality crisis that weighs heaviest on Black women. While today’s decision is disappointing, this case is far from over. A law that forces the immense pains, risks, and life-altering consequences of pregnancy on Georgians against their will is a clear violation of Georgians’ state constitutional rights, and we’ll keep doing everything in our power to block this cruel law for good.”
Carol McDonald – Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates President and CEO
“Planned Parenthood Southeast’s health centers remain open, and we will continue to provide abortion care in Georgia under the severe restrictions of this law — but we know that’s not enough. Make no mistake: Today’s decision will cause irreparable harm to the people of Georgia, the majority of whom want abortion to be legal. At the ballot box in 2024 and beyond, Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates intends to make sure that Gov. Kemp, AG Carr and their anti-abortion allies in the legislature answer for the public health crisis they’ve created across our state, which has forced so many to remain pregnant against their will or flee their communities for basic health care. We and our partners will keep fighting for Georgians’ ability to control their own bodies, lives, and futures — no matter what.”
Alexis McGill Johnson – Planned Parenthood Action Fund President and CEO
“This is a tragic day for reproductive freedom and for patients in Georgia. Across the southeast, abortion bans have decimated access to care and made pregnancy more dangerous. People seeking abortion beyond the earliest stages of pregnancy will continue to have their lives upended by the cruelty of this law and the out-of-touch politicians that passed it. We cannot and will not stand idly by — Georgians deserve better. We will continue this fight until everyone who needs abortion care can access it, free from political interference and needless hurdles.”
Alice Wang – Center for Reproductive Rights Staff Attorney
“For over a year, Georgians have been denied the freedom to chart their own lives and futures. It is outrageous that the Georgia Supreme Court is allowing these harms to continue in clear violation of the state constitution. Every day, people are suffering under these extreme abortion bans imposed by lawmakers who know nothing about healthcare and the realities of pregnancy. But we refuse to back down—we will keep fighting to protect Georgians’ fundamental rights.”
A copy of the complete ACLU press release can be found online here.
A copy of the ruling can be found here.
An overview of the case can be found here.